The ROG Ally X officially launches today, and while many people have already placed their pre-orders for the new handheld gaming console, some are having second thoughts after a slew of mixed reviews.

The ROG Ally X is the successor to ASUS’s first ROG Ally handheld gaming console, which was released just over 12 months ago (13th of June, 2023). It was announced via a ROG Global post on X back on May 10th, 2024, and since then, there has been huge hype around its launch.

Early specification leaks rumored new improvements to the Windows-based handheld console, including a much larger battery life, more RAM, and a new design – all welcomed by the console’s evergrowing fanbase. Since launching, many of the early hardware leaks have come to fruition – offering a clear uplift in performance over its predecessor. But it isn’t all good news for the ROG Ally X, as – despite seeing a decent uptick in performance – the new handheld gaming console has still received mixed reviews from a bunch of the industry’s leading tech publications.

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Reviewers struggle to recommend the ROG Ally X

Most of the early reviews seem to be a mishmash of positives and negatives, with the main issue revolving around the Windows operating system functionality – and how it’s more geared towards a keyboard and mouse than D-pad controls. In Wired’s review, it states “Windows isn’t designed to be run on a handheld. That’s just a simple, unavoidable truth.” – a feeling seemingly shared by numerous other reviewers. The review goes on to say “Trying to navigate the OS with a controller is always going to be an exercise in frustration.”, a sentiment that is hard to disagree with if you’ve ever used a Windows-based handheld.

Like many others, they go on to say that ASUS has made “solid strides” in this area through its Armoury Crate SE app, but it still seems to have some toothing issues. “While using the D-Pad to navigate my library, the up and down buttons would sometimes move my cursor between the grid of apps, or it would scroll through the list like a scroll wheel.”.

Other reviews are seemingly less harsh, with Notebookcheck saying it’s “the best gaming handheld thanks to faster RAM and a huge 80Wh battery”. DigitalTrends scored the device a 3.5/5, saying that it continues to have Windows Quirks, alongside MicroSD card concerns. They do caveat that in the headline, however, saying “I haven’t put down the ASUS ROG Ally X in the past two days”.

From the initial reviews, it definitely seems that ASUS has made big improvements over the original ROG Ally – answering many questions about its predecessor’s performance. Unfortunately, there are some lingering issues that have stopped some of the reviewers from physically recommending the console – such as UI jank and MicroSD issues.

Overall, it feels like if you can get your head around the Windows OS clunkiness that is being reported, you’ll be a very happy player. The ASUS ROG Ally X is available at numerous retailers, including Best Buy, the ROG store, and more.

About the Author

Charlie Noon

Charlie is the Affiliate manager for PC Guide. He has a vast understanding of most PC hardware and consumer essentials, using his knowledge to provide the best products and the biggest deals.